Bike seat position

skinnyrev2b

Hi all. A bit of a random question here. I'm trying to incorporate exercise into my daily life: in this instance cycling. I've not been on a bike in years, so my legs are feeling it lol!
However, I'm aware I'm repeatedly shifting my weight back onto the back of the seat, so that the pedals are more 'under' my knees rather than my rear. Should I just get used to riding more forward or tilt the seat back slightly?
TIA.

Alisonswim46

Go to your local bike store and get your bike professionally fit for you. Then you'll be much more comfortable when you ride.

jjpptt2

It's really hard to say. There is a lot of personal preference here. Your best bet is probably to take the bike to a local bike shop and ask them for 10 minutes or so to help get you adjusted to the bike. Most good bike shops will do a full fit, which can be pretty expensive - that's certainly not a bad option, but it sounds like more than you need at this point. Most decent shops will take a few minutes to do a quick adjustment of seat and handle bar position. They'll also tell you if the bike is simply too big/small for you, in which case there's only so much you can do.

That's probably a good starting point for you.

If you don't want to go that route, then make the bike comfortable. If that means you have to raise or lower the seat, or tip it a little, or slide it forward/back, then do it. It's not the end of the world. Ride a bit, then tweak a little more if needed... rinse and repeat until you get it where you like.

Machka9

I agree with the others ... take it to a shop.

Otherwise, type "bicycle fit" into Google and you'll get all sorts of articles about it.

You could also post a photo of you on the bicycle (or at least of the bicycle) to give us an idea of what you're talking about.

snowflake954

I just have to say that I like your profile pic with the Coloseum---it's right down the street from us. It's been restored since your photo and Roman numerals where found above the entry arches so spectators could find their seats. Keep cycling.

TimothyFish

The seat should be flat. If you find yourself sitting farther back on it, that is an indication that your seat needs to go back farther and may even be a sign that you need a bigger bicycle. There is a slight power advantage to sitting over the bottom bracket, but since you are just getting back into it, marginal power gains aren't something you need to be concerned with. For now, optimize for comfort. If you start getting into racing (even if it is during a weekly group ride) that is when you start thinking about optimizing for power.

NorthCascades

skinnyrev2b wrote: »

I'm aware I'm repeatedly shifting my weight back onto the back of the seat, so that the pedals are more 'under' my knees rather than my rear. Should I just get used to riding more forward or tilt the seat back slightly?
TIA.

The first thing I'd do is to move the saddle backwards. If you take a close look at it, there are probably two rails at the bottom of the saddle, and a clamp holding them to the top of the seat post. See the pic below. You can loosen those clamps, and slide the saddle backwards. Assuming it isn't already all the way.

Then I'd ride it a while, and see whether I need a professional fit from that point on.

skinnyrev2b

Thanks guys! Really great advice. I think I probably do need to take it in to a shop, if just to get the brakes checked out (the back(?) brake (left hand one) is a little loose, the front rather fierce!) but in the meantime I'll check out moving the seat back a fraction and trying that out.
I'm certainly no racer lol! I can't even get up some of the hills round here, despite moving through the gears.
How cool to live near the Coloseum Snowflake! I loved our trip there - nearly three years ago now, but I tend to be behind the camera not in front, so the best profile pic I could find!

Theo166

I second the bike shop fitting, but for DIY advice have you also just tried to raise your seat post?

There is much more adjustment room in seat height vs moving the saddle forward/backwards. Your leg should be fully extended when at the bottom of the pedal cycle.

kcjchang

Rule of thumb is your center of mass should be directly over the bottom bracket. Moving it forwards or backwards will impact your power delivery. It is natural to slide up or back depending on the exertion but could be an indication of a bad fit if your are permanently planted. Also be weary of the knee over the pedal spindle fit. That's the quick and sloppy fit. It's a starting point.

TimothyFish

The quickest way to figure out how high the seat should be is to place your heel on the pedal. Your leg should be fully extended at the bottom of the stroke. That way, when you place the ball of your foot on the pedal you will have a slight bend in your knee. From there, you may want to adjust it up or down a few millimeters depending on the length of your foot.

NorthCascades

Theo166 wrote: »

I second the bike shop fitting, but for DIY advice have you also just tried to raise your seat post?

There is much more adjustment room in seat height vs moving the saddle forward/backwards. Your leg should be fully extended when at the bottom of the pedal cycle.

This is true.

If you need to move your saddle further backwards than it allows, that implies that your frame is too small. Because a new bike is pretty expensive, here are two other things you might be able to do about it:

* Get a seatpost with 25 mm of setback, if you don't have one already.
* Use a longer stem for more reach, which might have side effects.

I wouldn't hesitate to get a setback post, but I would pay for a fit before I moved the handlebars to deal with saddle position, that's kind of a last resort.

skinnyrev2b

Wow, thanks guys. Who knew there was so much that could be adjusted on a 'simple' bike! I guess I just figured bikes were fairly static things - you got approximately the right size for you, moved the seat up or down and off you went... I do remember trying various bikes at the (proper) bike shop that I bought it from, but that was about 11 years ago - and I've only ridden it a handful of times since *hangs head in shame*.

NorthCascades

These days you can spend $400 to have them measure you (riding your bike indoors) with lasers.

Don't waste your money on that, I'm just telling you how crazy it's gotten.

Garmin makes a radar thing that you put under your seat. It scans for cars behind you, tells you about them, flashes according to how fast they're going.

Some people use hydraulic disc brakes on bicycles, and electronics to shift gears wirelessly. There's even a helmet that lets you shift gears just by thinking. I'm not making that up, and I'm not hallucinating.

You can spend $3,000 on bike wheels that were designed in a wind tunnel.

At the end of the day, with all this stuff, you still push the pedal down when it comes up.

ronocnikral

TimothyFish wrote: »

The seat should be flat. If you find yourself sitting farther back on it, that is an indication that your seat needs to go back farther and may even be a sign that you need a bigger bicycle. There is a slight power advantage to sitting over the bottom bracket, but since you are just getting back into it, marginal power gains aren't something you need to be concerned with. For now, optimize for comfort. If you start getting into racing (even if it is during a weekly group ride) that is when you start thinking about optimizing for power.

Seat does not need to be flat. I actually prefer a slight nose up and have ridden close to 800 miles in under 4 days that way.

Important point is to have your weight on your sit bones, a relaxed upper body and weight more or less over the BB. Find what is comfortable for you, not some Fred.

scorpio516

NorthCascades wrote: »

You can spend $3,000 on bike wheels that were designed in a wind tunnel.

$3,000 on bike wheel. $3000 each .

Machka9

ronocnikral wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

The seat should be flat. If you find yourself sitting farther back on it, that is an indication that your seat needs to go back farther and may even be a sign that you need a bigger bicycle. There is a slight power advantage to sitting over the bottom bracket, but since you are just getting back into it, marginal power gains aren't something you need to be concerned with. For now, optimize for comfort. If you start getting into racing (even if it is during a weekly group ride) that is when you start thinking about optimizing for power.

Seat does not need to be flat. I actually prefer a slight nose up and have ridden close to 800 miles in under 4 days that way.

Important point is to have your weight on your sit bones, a relaxed upper body and weight more or less over the BB. Find what is comfortable for you, not some Fred.

Mine is nose up slightly too, but it is a good idea to start with it flat and go from there.

Several times recently, on another forum, people have posted photos of their bicycles and they've got the saddle pointing down at the front wheel!!

kcjchang

Your riding position and the saddle profile will dictate the angle. Flat is neutral, tilted up to sit more upright, and down for improved aerodynamic. That's the general characteristics but ymmv.

TimothyFish

ronocnikral wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

The seat should be flat. If you find yourself sitting farther back on it, that is an indication that your seat needs to go back farther and may even be a sign that you need a bigger bicycle. There is a slight power advantage to sitting over the bottom bracket, but since you are just getting back into it, marginal power gains aren't something you need to be concerned with. For now, optimize for comfort. If you start getting into racing (even if it is during a weekly group ride) that is when you start thinking about optimizing for power.

Seat does not need to be flat. I actually prefer a slight nose up and have ridden close to 800 miles in under 4 days that way.

Important point is to have your weight on your sit bones, a relaxed upper body and weight more or less over the BB. Find what is comfortable for you, not some Fred.

It doesn't have to be exactly flat, just generally flat. If it is tilted too much then you tend to slide off. Not to mention a certain body part that goes numb if the front is tilted too far up.

susanp57

OP, what kind of bike do you have? Some bikes are going to be more adjustable than others. You have gotten good advice, but if you have a lower end bike it may not adjust like some others.

skinnyrev2b

It's a Raleigh voyager lx, comfort series. On the basis of the advice, I think I need to raise the seat, and tilt the seat slightly. I know I can move the height, whether I can tilt it remains to be seen!
Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciated.